I contacted the executor shortly after Rick Gailing and I finished the Reel News magazine article on Oscar’s fly reels last winter. She was a close family friend of Oscar and Arlene's, and I thought she might like a copy of the magazine. We kept in touch over the summer. The executor told me Arlene’s family had no interest in the records, and were going to throw them all out. She intervened, and put it all in storage. There were boxes and suitcases full of stuff. UNBELIEVABLE, it was all headed to the dump! About three weeks ago, she decided it was time to find a new home for the collection. We agreed on a price, and I purchased the lot.
For the last two weeks, I have been trying to wrap my arms around the collection. I have scanned over 800 photos and documents, and saved the digital files on an external hard drive kept in my fire-proof safe. The originals get filed away in archival plastic sleeves in binders, and also get stored in my safe. I am probably only 2/3rd’s done. No way I could possibly share it all on this forum. The collection really needs to be published in a book. Here are a few items, though. The ink blotter cards with Arthur's auto repair shop ad are really cool.
Enjoy!
John
Being the curator of such invaluable documentation and artifacts has to be personally rewarding!
